Data privacy and safety measures!

One of our key values at EBS is ETHICS. Some might think this value is pretty elf-explanatory, especially as we’re in the software service industry. Ethics is simple right? Be honest about your products and services, listen to your customers and be true to your word. However, dealing with technology and software is more than just delivering products, implementing solutions, servicing clients and being true to your word. Ethics for us means taking care of your whole corporation, your people, your clients and your most valuable, ‘your data’.

Everyday unknowingly we leave our digital footprint in everyday tasks which we don’t give much thought to such as; loading up your uber account, logging into your HR systems to clock in your hours, requesting office supplies for your department, approving forms, generating reports and everything in between. Almost all of the examples require your data. We’re aware of the amount of very important information that users record on their devices and software every single day at work, this is why we believe data needs to be handled carefully and is imperative to take all the preventative measures to avoid all potential security risks.

No one can tell us exactly how we can protect our own data, but we can take precautions to minimise the risks. At EBS we are always taking all the necessary actions to ensure our clients’ data and information is secured at all times. I’d like to share a few tips on how you can protect your own personal data when in this online and digital world.

Control + SHIFT + N
You probably think your passwords are safe, your personal information and details that are pre-saved and stored and nobody can access your devices (phone, ipad, laptop etc) and your entire life that’s saved in them as long as you’re in a safe location such as; work or home and using a secured internet line right?

A great tip if you need to use a public wifi and internet access is to use the incognito browser. It allows you to log in your user name and password to sites that you want to visit and completely purge the data from the browser once you close the window. It’s a simple CTRL + SHIFT + N and you are in.

When in doubt click ‘NO’ or ‘NOT THIS TIME’
Remember when our supervisor’s first rule of thumb was “SAVE WHATEVER DOCUMENT YOU’RE DOING”. This is always true, BUT only when handling documents. However, most browsers nowadays are advanced and detect web pages where you sign in or sign up your data for the first time, then asks you to save that data for future use. In this case, whenever you’re in doubt of the websites, or the place or computer where you are handing over your username and password, always be cautious in clicking the “Save” button. This might lead to automatically generate your accounts in these sites, and someone might be able to gain access in your account.

Managing your countless passwords
Can you remember way back in simpler times when we could just use one password for EVERYTHING? That universal password; your pets name, nickname, partners name, funny and inappropriate lingo with no limits on characters or upper and lower case and number combinations. We know that’s no longer the reality of passwords. We have to remember all 30 different passwords from 30 different accounts, some rarely used and others more regularly. So how can you remember all of your different passwords? Let’s thank modern technology and the internet geniuses for creating a solution to our universal problem. I’m talking about password manager applications. All you need to do is install and remember just one strong password for your own password manager account, and voila, all your passwords will all be accounted for and stored securely to access and monitor at any time. There are several applications for this such as; 1Password, Lastpass, but my personal favorite is Dashlane.

Dashlane has an Emergency feature which allows you to identify the people you trust the most with any of the accounts and passwords you secure. It has a Security Breach Alert feature which notifies you when your accounts are compromised and shows you a Security Score for your accounts that have the weakest protection. Another stand out feature is you can set up a text message activator to accounts that automatically sends an SMS with a code whenever someone is trying to log in to an account. Most, if not all, of these applications allow you to generate hard passwords based on your preferences: number of characters, including/excluding special characters, pronounceable words with special characters, you set it up and they generate random passwords whenever you need it. Then it encrypts the data as soon as you save it to the application, so that not even the makers of the application may know your data.

Treat your data as if it were your most sacred identity online because it is. Remember that privacy is a basic human right. As service providers, we take it as our duty to protect clients’ data and information the best way we could. But all of us must take all the necessary precautions to protect our information and data.

Jodie Naorbe

Project Coordinator

This post was written by Jodie Naorbe, Project Coordinator at Evolution Business Systems.

If you have out-dated business software that’s limited in its reporting and analytical capabilities – then you should to talk to EBS about a powerful business management software solution – Microsoft Dynamics NAV. To find out more about our suite of Microsoft business management software solutions, please call Paul Woods at EBS for an obligation free discussion on 1300 303 973.

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Evolution Business Systems (EBS) is a Microsoft Gold ERP Partner and business management software specialist in Melbourne that equips its clients with software designed to achieve their business goals. With expertise in leading financial applications, EBS offers small to medium sized businesses a complete, fully featured, whole of business solution with Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Office 365, Dynamics CRM and Microsoft Dynamics 365.